Kilimanjaro: They Did It

Submitted by Gemma Collins on Fri, 27/09/2013 - 14:18

In September a huge group of Cornwall Air Ambulance supporters took on the challenge of their lives as they climbed the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro.

The group of 31 fundraisers - thought to be one of the largest ever to climb the mountain from a single local charity - will raise around £70,000 for Cornwall Air Ambulance; enough to fund around 40 potentially lifesaving missions.

28 trekkers made it to the summit at 19,341 feet above sea level at around 8:30am on Thursday 19th September after their 7 day trek along the Lemosho Trail. The trail is one of the longest, quietest and most beautiful routes up the mountain, giving our fundraisers the best chance to acclimatize to the altitude.

Despite this, three trekkers were forced to descend just past the half way mark after developing symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness. All are now recovering well at home and say they are determined to one day conquer Kili.

Friends and family at home were able to track the group's progress using a GPS tracker - reassuring when updates from the mountain were severely curtailed by lack of mobile phone signal!

Paula Martin, chief executive for the charity, said: "This is the first overseas group challenge event for the Cornwall air ambulance and we were overwhelmed with the response. So far they have raised more than £70,000 for the charity after the costs of the trip.

"I want to congratulate everyone and thank all of their sponsors for helping to raise such a phenomenal sum of money. We are so proud of everyone in the group."

The trek took the group through five different ecosystems, from the bush land of the African savannah, through rainforest, over moorland and across alpine desert before reaching the glaciers and snow near the summit. Temperatures ranged from 25°C at the bottom to -20°C at the summit, though the group were fortunate to experience dry weather throughout.